Saudi bans restaurant service charges

Riyadh, January 31, 2012

Saudi Arabia has banned restaurants and coffee shops from levying service charges on their customers, a report said.

All eateries have been instructed by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to remove any description of service charges from the menu within 60 days, the Arab News report quoting a statement on the ministry’s website said.

The action came after it received several complaints from customers saying they were forced to pay inconsistent service charges by various restaurants, the report said.